1. Field of the Invention
The automatic garage door locking apparatus of the present invention relates to a mechanism mountable o an overhead garage door driven by an automatic opener to selectively lock the door in its closed position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent times automatic garage door openers have gained great popularity, particularly in the area of residential use. Such garage door openers typically incorporate an overhead chain or similar drive for driving the door to its closed position in response to actuation of a control button or receipt of a signal from a remote location. Such devices typically leave the garage in a relatively insecure state since the closing mechanism, when inoperative, can easily be overcome to force the garage door to its open position. For many such mechanisms, the garage door can simply be driven open by manually applying force thereto having a magnitude well less than one hundred pounds. Since such a force may easily be generated by simply inserting a pry bar or jack under the bottom edge of the door, the residence attached to the garage is left relatively unsecured, particularly if the inhabitants are in the practice of leaving the door joining the attached residence unlocked.
Manual garage door locks have been proposed which incorporate a keeper manually actuable to lock the door in its closed position. A device of this type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,181,313. While satisfactory for its intended purpose, such locking mechanisms are not readily adaptable for use with garage doors incorporating automatic openers and would not provide the convenience of automatic operation upon actuation from a remote location.
Since there are millions of overhead garage doors currently installed in residential and commercial buildings throughout the country, many of which incorporate automatic openers, there exists a need for a garage door locking mechanism which can easily be manufactured and shipped to retail outlets for sale to homeowners and the like for installation on garage doors already built and installed. It is important that the disassembled mechanism be relatively compact for shipping purposes but yet be of such a construction as to be easily installed by a relatively unskilled homeowner without the special training, tools or jigs. To be practical, it is important that the locking mechanism incorporate an electric motor to enable actuation of an electrical circuit from a remote position such that operation of the mechanism can be easily and conveniently initiated by a transmitter carried in the automobile for actuation from a remote location to initiate unlocking of the door prior to operation of the garage door operator. It is these needs which are satisfied by the locking mechanism of the present invention.